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Introducing the Grand Opening of Hempfest Central!

Congratulations to New Approach Washington for their historic victory with the passage of I-502. Truly, we are all operating in a brave new world.

After two decades of community activism and reform advocacy Seattle Hempfest is excited to announce the grand opening of the organization’s next big project: Hempfest Central.

We like to joke that we have been grassroots to our ass-roots, operating for many years out of our homes without an office or central location to produce our world class event. Not only are we branching out with our new world headquarters, we are opening a brand new hemp boutique and “420 culture shop”.

Just about everything (except glass) in our in-store inventory will also be available on-line at hempfest.org.We will be scouring the countryside for eco-friendly items that support our community values, and when possible we’ll be supporting the “American-made” model, with a keen eye on keeping as much commerce in our community as possible.

Not everyone can be an activist, but everyone can practice economic activism by voting with their dollars. Every purchase we make is an endorsement. By patronizing Hempfest Central you will be using your purchase power to support community activism and advance the cause of hemp consciousness and cannabis awareness education.

We are working to build a more sustainable model to get Hempfest through the coming years and to hopefully be able to offer some employment opportunities to our most long-standing volunteers, many of whom have sacrificed in order for Hempfest to grow and be strong. As a community-based organization we look forward to forging great partnerships with the other businesses in the Lake City area as we work to complement and enhance the campy little business core we have moved into.

Sharon Whitson, General Manager for Seattle Events, the organization that produces Hempfest, is excited about the new potential for a deeper connection to the community support for Hempfest and its endeavors. “Hempfest Central will be the catalyst for our ever growing organization. Not only will she provide a home base from which to coordinate our beloved festival, she’ll also provide us with an opportunity to marry our festival merch in a retail location with our soon to be launched web stores”, says Whitson.

“Hempfest Central will be the hempiest place on earth!” she says with a devilish grin. “Our motto is “don’t worry, be hempy!” Whitson adds that Hempfest Central will have everything cannabis except cannabis. “Hempfest Central is not a collective or dispensary”, she proclaims. “We’ll be the location you can get everything else from.”

Wholesalers and reliable, dependable volunteers can reach Hempfest Central during business hours at (206) 364-HEMP (364-4367) or by e-mail to hfcadmin@hempfest.org.

The world’s most resourceful plant has a new showcase, and it is Seattle’s Hempfest Central. For the first few weeks, through the Thanksgiving Holiday, Hempfest Central will be open, 1-7PM, Fri, Sat, Sun. After that (starting on Nov. 28) HFC will be open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 1 -7PM.

One of the reasons we are so excited about the new store is the opportunity it provides us to present examples of hemp based products after two decades of championing the versatility and durability of the world’s strongest, most nefarious natural fiber.

We have gambled everything on this new project, so we are really looking to our community, both local and global, to help us make this experiment a success. We’ll be doing our best to hempresent the movement in the most professional, responsible, and reputable way possible. We love Seattle breathlessly, and we are so proud of Washington State for leading the way on the path to equality and freedom for our precious and gentle culture.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.